Stephen Wayson has completed the most remarkable season of his life having won a magnificent EIGHT trophies and to cap it off signed Academy forms with Sunderland.

Playing for Darlington Albion Under-11s in the Richmond and District League, Stephen impressed watching Sunderland scouts Peter Cook and Joe Dumighan after being asked to attend Black Cats training sessions at their Spennymoor Development Centre.

He will now train four times a week at a Sunderland training centre in Cleadon and becomes the second Albion player to join the Black Cats after teammate Matthew Haymer signed schoolboy forms with the Stadium of Light club in March.

He was spotted playing for the Albion in a right-sided wing-back role from where he helped his side to win the League this season ahead of Northallerton, who were also runners-up to Stephen and his teammates in a six-a-side competition at the weekend.

Neil Wilson and Richard Weeks are the joint-managers who have guided Albion to the trophy-haul, which included wins in the Peter Cole the George Fawcett Cups.

The Under-11s side has been together for four years and believe this, as well as a very low turnover of players, has been key to their success while this season is the first Albion have played against teams their own age having been pitted against sides sometimes two years their elder.

Neil and Richard say they are very proud of Stephen's success this season which saw him win two trophies while playing for the Darlington Primary Schools town team, and two trophies while competing with Heathfield Primary School.

A County Cup win with Darlington was considered the most prestigious of the four schools Cup wins as they were competing against other schools from across County Durham.